October 4, 2023 edition

Shout Outs

Share appreciation and gratitude for a fellow CIS employee. Giving a shout out is a great way to recognize an individual or group for their extra effort and talent, and to contribute to a culture of appreciation, community, and kindness.  

Nominate someone for Employee Excellence. Click here for the form and here to learn about employee recognition & appreciation at CIS of Central Texas. 

In the Know Recording



If you were not able to attend yesterday’s In the Know event, the recording is available, see link and password below. For anyone with questions about the presentations, please submit using this online form by October 9^th and answers will be shared in the Apple later this month. Thank you!

https://vimeo.com/870725079?share=copy password is empower

2023-2024 Goal Worksheets

The Goal Worksheet for 2023-2024 is now available in Sharefile: Members Only Docs/Human Resources/Goals Worksheets & Definitions_2023-2024. Agency goals are finalized, and department goals are being worked on. Your completed goal sheet will be due to Human Resources with your Quarterly Pulse on November 15^th. Click here for the worksheet and click here to learn more about the goals and how they will be measured. 

CIS National Student Supports Institute

February 21 – 23, 2024

In-person in Las Vegas or Virtually

CIS of Central Texas will be sending 4 people to attend the 2024 Student Supports Institute. If you would like to be considered to attend on behalf of our agency, please submit this form by Friday, October 13^th.

Campus Visit Hosts Needed 2023-24 :: Only two dates remain!

This school year, Program Managers have the opportunity to nominate themselves or Program Directors to nominate their PMs to host a Campus Visit. Campus Visits are held four times during the school year and provide an immersive experience by connecting prospective and key stakeholders with the CIS mission through first-hand accounts of students, CIS staff, and administrators. Stakeholders include donors, advocates, and volunteers. Campus Visits are NOT fundraisers. 

Click the link below to learn more about Campus Visit criteria, see the dates selected for 2023-24, and nominate a Program Manager.

“Our Campus Visit was exciting! I was a bit nervous at first. But the Development Team was always available for my questions and made it easier with their planning guidelines. And my students had a blast as panelists and greeters. Having lunch delivered to them on campus was a bonus!”-- Emelda Hinojosa Hays CISD

Click here to Nominate a Campus Visit Host

Click here for your Food for Thought General Admission Ticket

Enter promo code FRIENDS to receive 50% off the $250 general admission ticket.

(Discount is only good for general admission tickets.)

Click here to sign up to join the Event Team and receive free admission! Only a few shifts remain!

Contact Deidre with questions, [email protected].

AUDITS BEGINNING THIS WEEK

This year the PMD team will be auditing all Parent Consent forms for validity and Contact records for completion, starting this week. We plan to be 'caught up' for all students in Apollo by Fall Break (mid-November) and will continue auditing new students weekly after that point. Please note that you will receive automated emails for audit corrections this year. You can also access a list of open Audit Tasks through your Apollo Dashboard in the 'Needs Attention' section.

SAY 'GOODBYE' TO YOUR TEST STUDENTS

As we prepare for GP1 Principal Reports, we will be cleaning up our test data and deleting all test students over the next couple of weeks. Please keep this in mind. 

RESOURCE REMINDERS

• We have put together short videos of Apollo functions based on topics covered in Apollo 101 and 102 training. Please use these videos, paired with the Apollo FAQ doc and the Apollo manual, to reinforce the topics we covered in training over the last few weeks. The videos are linked through the Apollo FAQ doc as well. 
• Check out this Requirements Checklist List View to see BOY requirements for your students on caseload

ONGOING SUPPORTS

• PMD Office Hours are Mondays 3-4pm and Fridays 8-9am via Teams.
• Email [email protected] if you need support, have questions, or have a feature request/suggestion.
• Apollo FAQs is a new document that contains answers to commonly asked questions. PMD updates this on a weekly basis.

Finance Department Update

Divvy due date

Please finalize all September transaction and approved by 10/10 please.

For mileage reimbursements

When submitting mileage to supervisor for approval, include in the email subject line your name and mileage month example “C Brown September mileage”. Also, name your attached mileage worksheet the same way. Example CBrown_September_Mileage_Reimbursement”.

Supervisors when submitting your approval to [email protected] copy the staff member.

This will help the finance dept. to process your requests. Thank you in advance.

Also, please submit mileage reimbursement forms by the 10/6. Make sure you are using the newest version of the mileage reimbursement form. You can find it at ShareFile>Members Only>Accounting>FY24 forms>Mileage reimbursement form FY24.v2. You may save it to your desktop and delete any older version you might have.

Committee Sign-Up



Through committees, we create spaces and opportunities for employees to bring their authentic, personal, and professional selves and ideas to the workplace in an environment that elevates the work of Communities In Schools of Central Texas. Committees are a great way to connect with your CISCT colleagues and give input. Please limit your commitment to no more than 2 committees for the 2023-2024 school year and consult with your supervisor about the time commitment before you sign up.

This year we have 4 affinity groups! In Living Color, Neurodiverse Staff Members, Restorative Practices, and Latinidad affinity group.

Committees include: Addressing Substance Misuse, All-Staff, Culture of Philanthropy, Employee Recognition, Family Engagement, Let’s Talk, Mental Health Training Needs, Micro Grants, Program Support Services, Social Committee, Stakeholder Survey Revamp, and the Work Life Balance committee. Click here to learn more!

Click here to sign up by October 20^th.

CISCT Job Openings



Click here for a list of available positions!

The Learning & Development Corner 



The Learning & Development Corner provides you with weekly updates. The Corner is here to assist you on a variety of training opportunities, regardless of whether it’s occurring in-person, hybrid, virtual, in-person, or at various locations in and around greater Austin. The Professional Development & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, Burel Ford, is here to serve you at the highest level. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me for any support you need regarding Auzmor content, troubleshooting, and all professional development opportunities at [email protected] 

Upcoming

Conference Opportunity: Texas Conference for Women November 16, 2023 in Austin,

Texas!  

https://www.txconferenceforwomen.org/about/ 

MH & W Department Updates

Attention campus-based staff: If you have not already done so, be sure to fill out the Interest Form if you would like to supervise interns during the Spring 2024 semester. Please note, you are eligible to host interns if you have been in your role with CIS for at least a year. You do not have to have a social work or counseling degree to host some of the interns that we are recruiting. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions. 

If you are interested in learning more about how to support students with a high acuity mental health condition, you may be interested in this 3 part MHTTC training:

Early Psychosis 101: Basics for Supporting Students, a 3-Part Introductory Series | Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network (mhttcnetwork.org)

This training is intended for anyone providing support to students.  

PD opportunity for Volunteers "Lunch and Learn"

The Volunteer Department will be providing an opportunity for CIS Staff to share their expertise and passions with our CIS volunteer community. We would love to provide professional development opportunities for our volunteers to be able to engage them through out the school year and coach them in areas that are important when working with our students. This is a paid opportunity, click to learn more.

Congrats this weeks Winner of a Starbucks gift card is Nydia Cabrera!

Chelsea Perez, CIS Program Manager at new campus open at Barrington ES presenting to teachers this first week of October! 

CIS PM, Marianna Martinez, partnered with Austin Energy for a lesson on Electrical Energy. Reading Buddy, Tamera Tate who works for Austin Energy, presented the lesson to 4^th graders and left the students knowing how to be safer around electrical wires.

CIS PM, Marianna Martinez, conducted a lesson on Indigenous Culture on being Water Protectors and added an SEL flair by creating calming water bottles with the students. 

Tonnyna Henderson hosted Wellness Wednesday and invited speakers from the Emma S. Mexican American Cultural Center for Hispanic Heritage Month!

Communities In Schools of Central Texas surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.